Friday, July 22, 2011

Alaska quilts

Several of the museums and visitor centers we've visited have had quilts on display by local artists or quilt guilds.

At Denali National Park they have an "Artist in Residence" program, where different kinds of artists (painters, sculptors, writers, quilters) stay for a period of time and then interpret their locale or experience. The quilt above and the closeup are by Linda Beach, who stayed there in 2005. It's titled "Threading Through the Gravel Bars--East Fork of the Toklat River." her description says, "During my ten-day stay in the park as Artist in Residence, the one element that took me by surprise was the sheer vastness of the open spaces. Walking along the gravel bars of the East Fork of the Toklat in particular, I was overwhelmed by the sight of miles and miles of multicolored stones and water as far as the eye could see. With this quilt I hope to share my experience of Denali with an unlimited sense of place and time."

This quilt, shown in its entirety in the first picture, is actually a set of panels that form one larger piece. it's called "Seasons of Denali," and it was made by Ree Nancarrow. "This view from Eielson depicts the changing seasons, from the last bit of winter, through spring, summer and fall, to the beginnings of winter. Sun, plants, animals, and migratory birds increase in a kind of crescendo, then decrease with a rapidly approaching winter. I have tried to convey my love and awe of this truly special place. If you look carefully you will be able to find some of the very unique plants, birds, and animals which are able to flourish in this harsh environment. "

Down on the Kenai Peninsula in the Pratt Museum, there are several lovely quilts.

I've been blogging about our trip to Alaska on my blog Wanderlust: http://holmantravels.blogspot.com